A new study from GLAAD — formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation — claims that there are too few transgender characters on TV.
GLAAD published its yearly “Where We Are on TV” report Tuesday, and it found that there are no transgender characters on primetime programming and only two percent on cable.
(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Nederlander)
The study said that seven percent of shows on streaming services like Netflix have transgender characters, but that wasn’t enough.
“Of the seven trans characters counted, only one was a transgender man,” the report said. (RELATED: Caitlyn Jenner’s TV Show Renewed)
(Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
The study revealed that while the amount of LGBT characters on TV shows had risen, a majority of them are white.
“Each of us lives at the intersection of many identities and it’s important that television characters reflect the full diversity of the LGBT community,” Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO & President of GLAAD, said in a statement with the report.
“It is not enough to just include LGBT characters; those characters need to be portrayed with thought and care to accurately represent an often tokenized community.”
GLAAD did note that racial diversity overall had seen a six-point increase since 2014. (RELATED: Caitlyn Jenner Named ‘Woman Of The Year’)